Texans Remain Perfect Against Miami, Win Third Straight

As much as it pains me to say it, Gary Kubiak may have saved his job with this one.

In what made the majority of Texans fans wonder if they had slept in and were still dreaming, Houston took Miami behind the wood shed for an old fashioned beating…In the first half. But, again, barely held on to beat a surging Dolphins team and stay in the playoff hunt (I can barely say this with a straight face).

Look, a win is a win. I do agree with that. Especially on the road in basically a playoff elimination game. I don’t want to be known as that writer who does nothing but complain when we win a game. I just wish we could see this team for four quarters consistently playing at a high level that we have seen them play only a half of most of this season. Until we are a four quarter team, we will never be playoff contenders, much less capable of making deep playoff runs. And that falls on the coaching for not having a team prepared. But, I digress.

Andre Johnson was enjoying his Miami homecoming (he played at The University of Miami Hurricanes, in case you missed it) in the first half. He made some tough catches and even a 10 yard touchdown grab on a fourth and goal play in the 1st quarter. With that play he became only the 2nd WR in the history of the NFL to post back-to-back 1,500 yard receiving seasons (Marvin Harrison was the other). It seems every week Andre is tying or breaking some record for receivers. Like I have said before, enjoy it Texans fans. We are watching the first Texans player that will be in the NFL Hall of Fame someday.

No, that isn't Domanick Davis. Texans rookie RB Arian Foster looked every bit the player that fans had hoped he could be today. He finished with 97 yards and a TD.

As for Matt Schaub, it was just another day at the office. 286 yards and two touchdowns to go along with, (gasp!) an actual running game. Yes, you heard me correctly. Matt didn’t have to try to go for 500 yards today for the team to win. Rookie RB Arian Foster played mistake free football and got to stay on the field. And he rewarded his Coach and team for it. 97 yards on 19 attempts and his first career touchdown. Ryan Moats even added 23 yards himself and Houston did something they haven’t done in awhile: go over 100 yards on the ground in a game. I am trying not to get too optimistic about Foster (remember Steve Slaton?), but he certainly earned himself a place on the squad next season. Anything, and I repeat, anything is better than Chris Brown.

If Cushing doesn't bring home the hardware for Defensive Rookie of The Year, there should be an investigation.

On the defensive side of the ball, I think the announcers for today’s game summed it up best when they asked if they could go ahead and give Texans LB Brian Cushing the Defensive Rookie of The Year award already. He chipped in 9 tackles, a sack and his 4th interception of the season. Him and DeMeco Ryans (11 tackles) held the Dolphins usual spectacular running game in check.

And let us say something positive for the struggling Kris Brown. He hit a 49 yarder today and was 2 for 2 in the game. Hopefully, that’s the kick that will get him back on track.

Again, as ugly a win as you can get when you have to hang on by the skin of your teeth after leading 27-0, but a win is a win. Especially on the road. I still think the playoffs are a joke. Houston has to beat New England next week and count on like two or three other teams to lose. I just do not see it all falling their way. About the only thing positive that could happen is to post the first winning record in franchise history at 9-7. But to me, that only makes it hurt more that if you had only won one or two of those close games that were blown that you would already be in the playoffs. Houston had a favorable schedule this year and went 5-3 on the road, their best mark in franchise history. Plus, there are so many .500 teams in the AFC that this was their year. And it appears Houston let it get away. And I fear this will happen again next season if Gary Kubiak remains the Head Coach. Especially with a tougher schedule and the NFC East next season. But, I won’t lie, a 9-7 finish would be kind of a nice thing, being we have never experienced it before. I just long for the days that we don’t get excited about the possibility of a 9-7 season. Highlights below.

Tags: Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Brian Cushing, Chris Brown, DeMeco Ryans, Kris Brown, Marvin Harrison, Miami Dolphins, Miami Hurricanes, New England Patriots, Ryan Moats, Steve Slaton